THE BUZZ.

Byline: - Compiled by Fred Shuster

HOW IN IS THIN?: She is famed for her pride in her curvy figure - and actress Kate Winslet says reports that she had slimmed down to a British size 8 - the equivalent of a U.S. size 4 - are ``insane.'' British newspapers carried prominent photographs Monday of the svelte-looking ``Titanic'' star in a floor-length Ben de Lisi gown at the premiere in London on Sunday of her latest movie, ``Finding Neverland.''

Most speculated that she had been dieting to regain her figure after the birth of her second child, Joe. ``It is so insane; I haven't lost any weight,'' Winslet said in an interview Monday. ``Everybody likes to think it is a great story to talk about my fluctuating weight. The reality is I have had two children in four years, and the only time my weight goes up and down is when I'm pregnant, which happens. I have stayed the same weight apart from those times,'' said Winslet, who is married to Sam Mendes, director of the Oscar-winning ``American Beauty.''

In ``Finding Neverland,'' the 29-year-old Winslet plays Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, whose four young sons inspired Scottish author J.M Barrie - played by Johnny Depp - to write the children's classic ``Peter Pan.''

FORGET ABOUT IT, INDEED: Robert De Niro is blaming ``communications problems'' on his failure to turn up for two appearances in Italy.

The ``GoodFella'' was going to get the Golden Ambrosius award, which takes its name from Milan's patron saint Ambrose, last Thursday from the mayor of Milan. De Niro's mouthpiece claimed the actor arrived too late and officials did not wait for him.

The next day, DeNiro missed a Rome date where he was to plug the Tribeca Film Festival, the New York event he helped launch in 2002. Italian officials suggested the Milan mess led him to skip Rome.

``It was a complicated situation, and I'm not sure how it was handled at their end, but it certainly wasn't handled properly at mine,'' De Niro said in a statement. ``I was a guest in their country, and the last thing I would want to do is to offend anyone.''

GIVE MY REGARDS TO SHREK: Speaking of Sam Mendes, there's a lot of green in his future -as in Broadway, meet Shrek. The good-natured all-green ogre and box-office giant will become the subject of a big-bucks musical co-produced by Mendes.

No timetable has been set for ``Shrek's'' opening on the Great White Way, but workshops will begin next year. Jason Moore, who directed the Tony-winning musical ``Avenue Q,'' will direct, while the book will be written by David Lindsay-Abaire, author of such offbeat comedies as ``Fuddy Meers.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) WINSLET and DEPP: Weighty matters.

John D. McHugh/Associated Press

(2) no caption (Shrek)